The Lead: Freshmen Quinton Copeland (Houston, Tex.) and Louie Davolio (Worcester, Mass.) racked up a combined four hits and four RBIs for the Emerson baseball team as the Lions had its comeback halted in a season opening 7-5 loss to Framingham State on Thursday afternoon.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Copeland batted 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, one run scored and drove in a pair and Davolio finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a triple along with a run scored and two RBIs.
Three more Lions connected for one hit apiece including seniors Ethan Young (Amherst, Mass.) and CJ Rogers (Guliford, Conn.) and junior Cam Beattie (Gilbert, Ariz.).

Senior Jack Fox (Los Angeles, Calif.) started on the mound for Emerson and pitched two innings allowing one hit and one walk while he struck out three.

Shouldering the loss for the Lions was Mainella, who surrendered five runs (four earned) on four hits with one walk.

Leading Framingham State at the plate was Kyle Lippert, who went 3-for-4 and plated one run.

Kyle Hodgson started the opening two frames and threw two innings with Wallach nabbing the win in three innings on the rubber, allowing three runs on two hits and struck out one.

Framingham State outhit Emerson, 10-7, and both teams had one error.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Fox and Hodgson kept the game quiet through the first two frames before Framingham State snapped the scoreless game and tagged Mainella with a five-run third inning.

The first two Rams runs crossed when Matt Fogarty barreled a ground rule double into left center followed by Bobby Higgins' two-RBI single (4-0) that knocked Mainella out of the game.

After Higgins successfully stole third, he came into plate the fifth Rams run on a throwing error committed by the Lions.

The bottom half of the third saw the Lions put a run on the board when Copeland roped an RBI single into right to drive in Young with the score now 5-1.

Solid pitching and defense allowed the fourth and fifth innings to quickly pass before Emerson got to Wallach for three runs in the home half of the sixth.

With a single and error by the shortstop, the Lions placed runners at first and second and saw both cross home on Davolio's monster triple that sailed over the right fielder's head (5-3)

Sophomore Ryan McCahan (San Jose, Calif.) pushed home the fourth Lions' run on a sacrifice fly into center as the Lions inched within a run at 5-4.

Framingham State answered in the top of the seventh with another pair of runs when Aaron Williams slipped a bases loaded two-RBI single into left (7-4).

The Rams still had the bases juiced after Williams' go ahead single, but sophomore Nick Rempe (Islip, N.Y.) exited the inning unscathed after he got Andrew Curtis to fly out to center.

Emerson plated another run in the bottom of the seventh with Copeland's sacrifice fly making its way to center (7-5).

The Lions threatened for more in the top of the eighth as Davolio singled followed by McCahan taking first on balls with one out, but came up empty with a strikeout and fielder's choice.

UP NEXT

Emerson heads down to Florida for spring break with its first game on Sunday, March 3 in a doubleheader against Muhlenberg in Auburndale, Fla. at 1 & 3:30 p.m.